Before the store and post office were located in what is now Rescue, Green Valley was at the west; Rose Springs to the east; Jay Hawk and Deer Valley to the north; and Gray’s Flat to the south. The Green Valley Post Office was at the Dormody ranch, now owned by the Greenhalgh family. The Rescue Post Office came into being through the efforts of DeCourcy Hodgkin (father of Howard Hodgkin of Gray’s Flat), and his brother-in­law, Andrew Hare. Not being permitted to use the name “Green Valley”, a new one had to be found. Hare operated what was known as the Rescue mine, a short distance below the Pyramid mine, about a mile below the Dry Creek bridge, at the junction of Green Valley and Lotus roads. As far as was known, there was no other post office in the state known as Rescue, so this name was adopted. Speculation is that Hare’s predecessors in the mine operation may have found provisions running low, and were saved by the finding of gold, and therefore named the mine “Rescue”. Later the Green Valley Post Office was moved to the junction of Green Valley and Bass Lake roads, and still later was combined with the Rescue Post Office.

Creation of the Rescue Fire Protection District

The Rescue Fire Protection District was created with the support and contributions of the Rescue Volunteer Firefighter Association members and the greater community. The RVFA, a non-profit organization, was founded in 1960 by local residents who served as both RVFA members and firefighter personnel.

The RVFA's primary tasks were to provide fire protection to the Rescue Fire Protection District and to help support the needs of fire victims and their families. The RVFA has raised critical funding for firefighting operations by hosting annual events and accepting donations.

In 1975, a district tax was approved to help supplement and support the funding provided by the RVFA. In 1977, the construction and dedication of Rescue Station 83 was completed. Station 83 is in use today providing critical fire protection and ALS/BLS medical services to the community.

The El Dorado County Sheriff's Office-Office of Emergency Services provides an Alert Notification System to notify residents when there is a threat to the health of safety of residents. To learn more about this program click here.

Minimum Water Supply Requirements for El Dorado County can be downloaded by clicking here.

For current information about the State Fire Prevention Fee click here. The Rescue Fire Protection District does NOT receive any revenue generated from this fee.